


Not So Urban Legend

by alexlovesolivia



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:09:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26657158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexlovesolivia/pseuds/alexlovesolivia
Summary: A night of ghost stories and urban legends around a bonfire leads amateur teen sleuth Olivia Benson and her friends to a house with a 75-year-old mystery that hits a little too close to home for Olivia.
Relationships: Olivia Benson/Alexandra Cabot
Comments: 12
Kudos: 8





	1. Happy Fall Y'all

Olivia’s first crush was unexpected. Unlike her friends who were already in relationships, sixteen-year-old Olivia had yet to hold hands with a girl, let alone kiss one. When her friends were on dates, Olivia had sports and school, and even her new job to keep her busy. She hadn’t intended on being paid to offer private coaching sessions to elementary school-aged girls, but when word spread among the softball moms in her hometown that a six-year-old she coached made the all-star team in her first season, Olivia found herself with a full calendar and several clients. One client in particular, Emily Cabot, a rambunctious eight-year-old, was always picked up by her older sister instead of her parents. The first time was because Mrs. Cabot had to take her son to an out-of-town soccer tournament and Mr. Cabot was working late, but soon it became a routine for Mrs. Cabot to drop Emily off at the field and Emily’s older sister Alex to arrive an hour later to pick her up. Unlike the moms who usually showed up in head-to-toe Lululemon workout clothes or jeans and a sweater, Alex’s ensembles went from jeans and a t-shirt on the first day she picked up Emily to skirts, dresses, and heels as time passed. It was far from appropriate attire for a softball field, but Olivia had a feeling Alex’s choice of clothing was meant entirely for her. While at home, Olivia’s mind would shift to thinking about Alex’s shiny, blonde hair, the perfectly applied pink lipstick on the soft lips that she dreamed of kissing, and the way her legs looked in her skirts and dresses. That five or ten minutes that she’d talk to Alex after Emily’s lessons soon became the highlight of her week and, in that short time, she started to feel something she had never felt before. 

Four months had passed since the day she first talked to her and, during those four months of short conversations, Olivia learned that Alex was the same age as her, went to her rival high school across town, was involved in Mock Trial and the debate team at her school, and was taking four AP classes. When she found out about Alex’s demanding course load and extracurricular activities, it dawned on Olivia that Alex wasn’t picking up her sister and hanging out at the softball field for lack of anything better to do. It may have taken her four months, but Olivia had finally gotten the hint and, when Alex showed up the following week with a Starbucks drink for her with her pink lipstick print on the cup and her phone number on the label, there was no more denying her intentions.

Olivia asked her out right then and there and, although she could have had her first date with her first actual crush months ago had she just paid attention to her signals, she was still grateful that Alex had made that bold move.

When she pulled into the Cabot’s driveway, she felt as if she were in a neighborhood straight out of some teenage girl’s autumn blog. It was only September, but there were wooden signs on the front porches of their neighbor’s houses with the words ‘ _ Happy fall y’all’  _ and ‘ _ Pumpkin spice season’  _ painted on them in typical autumn colors. The Cabot house was no different and it made Olivia smile to see the cute homemade autumn and Halloween decorations that she assumed Mrs. Cabot or maybe even Alex had found on Pinterest.

Olivia pulled down the sunvisor in her car and checked her makeup in the mirror. The drive to Alex’s house was only ten minutes from her own, but she knew she couldn’t be too careful. She made sure her mascara and lipgloss hadn’t smudged and her ponytail and bangs didn’t have a strand of hair out of place. She had wanted to wear some jeggings and a nice shirt, but her grandparents insisted on her wearing a dress for her first date. The only dress she owned was a mint green summer dress with flowers on it that she bought to wear for her grandparents’ anniversary that past July. The dress was a thin material and the hem was about six inches above her knees. It wasn’t the most ideal item of clothing for a cool September night, so Olivia put her denim jacket on over it. 

She nervously walked to the front door, hoping it would be Alex that answered so they could quickly leave, but much to her disappointment Mr. Cabot answered the door and insisted she come in. 

“I didn’t know you do house calls, Champ,” Mr. Cabot said as he led her to the living room. “Isn’t it hard to play in a dress?”

Olivia sat down on the sofa. “I’m－I’m not here for Emily, sir,” she said nervously. 

Mr. Cabot tried not to laugh. “I’m just giving you a hard time. I know you’re here for Alex and I know that because she hasn’t stopped talking about you. Neither has Emily. With her, it’s always ‘Olivia taught me this’ or ‘Olivia taught me that.’ She’s the cleanup hitter on her team because of you. Of course, with Alex, it’s always about－well, let’s just say she’s smitten with you.”

Before Olivia could ask him what exactly Alex had said about her, she heard Alex coming down the stairs with Mrs. Cabot following behind her. Unlike the skirts and dresses she had worn over the summer, Alex was in what Olivia considered typical autumn girl attire: jeggings, brown boots, and a cream colored sweater. The only thing missing was the obligatory pumpkin spice latte. As much as that look annoyed her when she saw it online, on Alex she found it irresistible. 

“Gregory, you better not have said anything to embarrass our daughter,” Mrs. Cabot said jokingly. 

“I was on my best behavior,” Mr. Cabot insisted. 

Olivia debated hugging Alex when she saw her or commenting on how beautiful she looked, but with both of Alex’s parents there, she decided against it. When Alex sat next to her on the couch, Olivia felt her heart start to race.

“I’m trusting you’ll have her back by ten,” Mr. Cabot said to Olivia from his seat across from her. 

“Ten?” Alex asked in disbelief. “Dad, it’s already seven o’clock.”

“You said you’re just going to Starbucks,” Mr. Cabot pointed out. “I think three hours is a suitable amount of time.” 

“I also said we’re going to the movies,” Alex reminded him. “The movie starts at 8:15 and ends around ten and I was hoping to spend some time with Olivia in her car.”

Olivia had an idea what those last few words probably sounded like to Mr. Cabot, so she decided to intervene. “If it’ll make you feel better, I can have her back by ten. I want you to know that your daughter is going on a date with a girl you can trust.”

“I like this kid,” Mr. Cabot said to his wife. “Tell you what, Alex. I want you and Olivia here as soon as the movie ends, but Olivia, you don’t have to go home right away. You’re welcomed to hang out here in the living room or use the bonfire pit in the backyard. We’ll give you girls your privacy. I’d just feel better knowing you’re here and safe instead of driving around late at night.”

“Deal,” Olivia smiled at him. Her grandparents－the type of Boomers who still held on to their ‘60s flowerchild ideologies－encouraged Olivia to be independent and think for herself. They didn’t have a strict curfew for her or any curfew for that matter as long as she checked in every couple of hours and didn’t give them any reason not to trust her. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have strict parents, but having Alex home by ten was a small price to pay to stay in Mr. Cabot’s good graces.

“How long have you had your license, Champ?” Mr. Cabot’s tone of voice may have been friendly, but Olivia felt as if an interrogation was coming on.

“Seven months,” Olivia responded. “I took the test on my 16th birthday and passed on my very first try.”

“So did Alex,” Mrs. Cabot said, proudly. “She turned sixteen in May and passed her test on the first try. I think when she found out how adorable Emily’s coach was, she was even more motivated to pass so she could pick her up and see you.”

“Mom,” Alex covered her face with her hands.

“What kind of car do you drive?” Mr. Cabot asked. The interrogation may have continued but Olivia was grateful for a topic of conversation that wasn’t going to embarrass Alex.

“Civic Type R,” Olivia responded. Her car was her pride and joy and she couldn’t help but talk about it every time she had the opportunity. “My grandparents gave me the down payment and signed for it for my 16th birthday, but I’m making the rest of the payments with my own money. It can go 0-60 in 5.4 seconds and It’s bright blue. The same color as Alex’s eyes.”

Mr. Cabot leaned forward in his seat. “So you expect me to let my daughter get in the car with a driver who still has her junior driver’s license because she’s under 18 and－and, to top it off－this sixteen-year-old driver has a car that’s practically a Hot Wheels race car.”

Mrs. Cabot laughed. “Olivia, he’s just trying to instill some fear in you because he’s not ready to let his little girl start dating.”

“And I’m at the age where－if I were driving a sports car, it wouldn’t be cool anymore. I’d just look like all the other middle-aged guys out there trying to recapture their youth.” Mr. Cabot got up from his seat and motioned for the girls to stand up. “Go on. I’ve already kept you girls here for 15 minutes. Go enjoy your fast car and your youth and make sure you keep your hands off of my daughter.”

“Gregory!” Mrs. Cabot playfully smacked his arm.

“Dad!” Alex said and then mouthed the words ‘I’m sorry’ to Olivia.

Olivia laughed, expecting him to say that he was just kidding about the ‘hands off my daughter’ part, but when those words never came out of his mouth, Olivia took it as their cue to get out of there. “Yes, Mr. Cabot...sir.”

Alex cupped Olivia’s hand. “Come on, Olivia. Let’s get out of here.”

Mr. Cabot narrowed his eyes at his daughter, hoping to instill some fear in the two girls. “What did I just say about touching?”

Olivia had no intention of doing anything that would upset Alex’s mom and dad or make them think that she had anything in mind that wasn’t completely innocent. If the touch of Alex’s hand was overwhelming for her, she could only imagine what kissing her－or anything else for that matter－would make her feel.

Alex held onto Olivia’s hand as they walked over to her car－hands cupped, not quite ready for fingers laced. When they approached her car, Olivia remembered what her grandfather had taught her about chivalry and opening the car door for her date.

“I don’t want to go to the movies,” Alex said before Olivia could even start the car.

“Is it something your dad said?” Olivia asked. “If you’re worried about your curfew, we could come back here after Starbucks. I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

“It’s not that,” Alex insisted. She tucked a strand of hair behind Olivia’s ear that had just come loose from her ponytail. “I’m on a date with a beautiful girl that I’ve had a crush on for months and I don’t want to spend most of it in a dark movie theater where I can’t even face you or talk to you.”

“We can go anywhere you want,” Olivia told her, although she suddenly wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of their date just kissing her.

“Starbucks is fine,” Alex smiled at her. “I have something for you and I hope you don’t think it’s lame.”

“Nothing you give me could ever be lame,” Olivia insisted. She didn’t know where she got the nerve, but she held Alex’s hand up to her lips and placed a delicate kiss on her hand, hoping Alex wouldn’t think she was being too forward. She noticed a sticky lip gloss print on the back of Alex’s hand. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Hold out your hands and close your eyes.”

Olivia heard the sound of Alex unzipping her purse. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but she couldn’t help smiling when she felt a round, plush toy in the palms of her hands. “Is this a plush softball?”

“Olivia,” Alex groaned. “You weren’t supposed to guess, but since you guessed right you can open your eyes.” Olivia opened her eyes to find a plush softball with her name embroidered on it in blue letters. “I made it last week. As you probably noticed from all the autumn decorations inside my house, my mom is really into crafting and she taught me how to use her sewing machine. I was going to have Emily give it to you and pretend it was from her, but my mom told me to throw caution to the wind and give it to you myself.” 

“I love it!”

“You don’t have to say that.”

“Really, I do.” And she did love it. Had she been in an ‘80s teen movie, it would have been the moment when she asked Alex to be her girlfriend, but instead she was in the real world and she felt as if a hug would be more appropriate. The smell of Alex’s perfume and the feeling of her arms wrapped around her filled her with a sense of comfort that she had never felt before. “This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me and you’re the sweetest and most beautiful girl.”

Alex grabbed Olivia’s hand and laced her fingers with hers. “ _ You _ are the sweetest and most beautiful girl and, with every single one of the  _ thousand _ text messages we’ve sent each other since I gave you my phone number, I liked you even more.”

It was eight o’clock by the time they sat down at a table with their drinks. With only two hours left until Alex had to be home, the girls were content to just spend the rest of their time talking to each other, that is, until they were interrupted by a girl sneaking up behind Olivia and covering Olivia’s eyes with her hands.

“Guess who!” she said to Olivia. She knew she was trying to be discreet, but her best friend’s accent and thin fingers were a dead giveaway.

“Abigail Shianne Carmichael.” 

“Olivia Margaret Benson,” Abbie said as she removed her hands from Olivia’s eyes. She had hoped her best friend was just saying hello before getting her own table, but much to her chagrin Abbie pulled up a chair in between them and her girlfriend Connie brought one over for herself.

Connie sat down in the chair she placed next to Alex. “Liv, you were right. She’s gorgeous.”

“Alex, this is my best friend Abbie and her girlfriend Connie, although I’m not sure why they’re here because this isn’t a double date.”

Eight years ago, Abbie had started out as Olivia’s adversary. The two of them competed over everything two third-grade tomboys could compete over: who could climb to the top of the jungle gym the fastest, who could kick the farthest in kickball, and who could run the fastest in the relay races. Sometimes Olivia won, sometimes Abbie won, but the competition between them didn’t end until one of the bullies in their class insisted that no girl could beat him in dodgeball. There may have been ten other kids in the middle of the circle, but Abbie and Olivia spent the rest of their thirty-minute P.E. class period pelting the class bully with a rubber dodgeball every time the opportunity arose. It was in that moment that the two of them realized it was better to join forces than compete with each other and they had been best friends ever since.

“We were in the area,” Abbie said nonchalantly.

“We really were,” Connie insisted. “We were about to go to Coldstone when I saw your story on Instagram. You tagged the pic with your location.”

Abbie’s girlfriend Connie Rubirosa was what Olivia considered a social media addict. She was beautiful and a cheerleader, but her instagram account was no different from any other high school girl’s account until she posted a picture of herself in a bikini and tagged the location of the resort her family was staying at during their summer vacation. The picture received more likes and attracted more followers than she had expected and, by the end of the summer and after dozens of additional pictures of her in a bikini and in her summer clothes, her account had grown from 500 followers which mainly consisted of her friends from her new school and people she knew at her old high school in LA to nearly 100,000. Olivia was uneasy about the fact that so many people－some maybe even grown men－were looking at pictures of a scantily clad teenage girl, but there was no telling that to Connie or any other girl Olivia knew who posted similar pictures. She and Connie didn’t get off on the right foot when she first moved from LA to their small suburb in New York when they were sophomores, but ever since she started dating Abbie the previous month, Connie had gone from hanging out with only cheerleaders and the rest of the popular crowd to spending her lunch period and weekends with Abbie and being more comfortable with her true self. Although it had only been a month since the two of them started dating, Olivia couldn’t imagine anyone else making her best friend so happy.

“Not exactly discreet about being on your first date, are you, Olive?” Abbie teased. “And why are you in a dress? Did somebody die?”

“Forgive my girlfriend,” Connie said as she scrolled through an app on her phone. “We didn’t intend on crashing your date, but it’s opening night at The Haunted Asylum and there’s still tickets left for the nine o’clock time slot and we wanted to know if you two want to go with us. I texted Casey and she’s going to meet us there, but we have to leave soon if we want to make it in time.”

The Haunted Asylum wasn’t actually haunted nor was it even an actual asylum; rather, it was a Halloween attraction that was set up every September and October in a rural town about twenty miles outside of their suburb. Going through the asylum was practically a rite of passage for teenagers in the surrounding areas and, now that they were sixteen, Abbie and Olivia wanted nothing more than to experience it for themselves. What Olivia hadn’t counted on was that opportunity interrupting her date with Alex.

“Alex has to be home by ten,” Olivia pointed out. “And The Haunted Asylum isn’t exactly the most romantic first date.”

“And Starbucks is?” Abbie asked her. “Besides, you haven’t even asked Alex if she wants to go.”

“I don’t mind going,” Alex told Olivia. “My best friend Serena has been wanting to go and, if Serena is there and your friends are there, then it’s technically a group outing. My dad’s curfew rules are much more lenient when it comes to group outings.” 

“Getting your dad on a technicality.” Abbie pulled out her phone so she could navigate to The Haunted Asylum’s website. “I like this girl, Olive. I’ll get six tickets and you guys can just Venmo me whenever. Alex, tell your friend Serena to meet us there.”

Olivia was uneasy about Alex telling her dad that it was now a group outing. She prided herself on being responsible and honest, especially because Mr. and Mrs. Cabot had been so kind to her from the moment she started coaching Emily.

“I couldn’t care less about going to some haunted house,” Alex said as the two of them walked hand-in-hand to Olivia’s car. “I just wanted an excuse to extend my curfew. We’ll go through this haunted house, our friends will go to the concession stands or the dance floor afterward and that’s when you and I can sneak off somewhere, just the two of us.”

Hearing those words come out of Alex’s mouth sent Olivia’s mind racing.  _ Okay, maybe I can go through with this. _

Olivia gently squeezed Alex’s hand. “If you get scared, I’ll protect you.”

“You’re in a dress and ballet flats,” Alex teased. “If anything,  _ I’ll  _ protect  _ you _ .”


	2. Liv the Studmuffin

The twenty-mile drive to the Haunted Asylum gave Olivia an opportunity to finally be alone with Alex. She remembered her driver’s ed class and how she was supposed to place her hands on 10 and 2 on the steering wheel, but once she hit the open road, her hands switched to one on 10 and one on Alex.

That moment was everything Olivia had ever wanted. She had her car, she had freedom on the open road and, most importantly, she had her girl right next to her. Or, at least she hoped Alex would someday be her girl.

“Olivia?”

“Yes, babe? I mean sweetheart. I mean Alex.” Those terms of endearment had slipped thanks to getting lost in the thought of Alex being her girlfriend. Olivia wished she could erase the past ten seconds from Alex’s memory, but the sound of Alex’s laughter soon made her feel like the embarrassment was worth it. “I usually don’t say things like that.”

“I hope not,” Alex smiled. “At least not with any other girl, but you can use any kind of cute nickname with me.”

“I’ll think of a good one for you. Nothing unoriginal,” Olivia promised. 

Alex shifted in her seat so she could rest her head on Olivia’s shoulder. “Just call me yours.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes!” Alex insisted. “I’ve been stalking you on a softball field for months, Olivia, and keep in mind I don’t even like sports; however, I  _ will  _ be at all of your games this spring. Partially for support and encouragement, but mostly so I could see you in those tight uniform pants.”   


“I feel so objectified right now,” Olivia teased. “And I took you for the type of girl who wanted something like a promposal. Not just you and I saying we’re a couple without me making some grand gesture.”

“Maybe I want the girl and not the gesture,” Alex responded. 

Olivia couldn’t stop smiling. She wanted to jump for joy or do  _ something _ to express how that car ride had been one of the happiest moments of her life. “When we pull into the parking lot, can I seal the deal?”

“Olivia, I’m your girlfriend now,” Alex reminded her. “I’m hereby giving you permission to kiss me anytime you want to...and do other things.”

“Alex!” Olivia started blushing.

Olivia had hoped for her first kiss to be one of the most romantic moments of her life, but with Abbie’s lifted Chevy Silverado parked on one side of her car and a Prius that belonged to Serena parked on the other side, Olivia knew it wasn’t the right time.  _ Why can’t we just be alone?  _

“I can’t wait to introduce you to Serena,” Alex said, excitedly. “She’s been my best friend since we were little. Her mom and my mom were sorority sisters, so we’ve known each other since  _ forever _ .”

Olivia smiled at the thought of how much her life had changed in less than a two hour period. She had gone from picking up Alex for their first date to Alex becoming her girlfriend and the two of them meeting each other’s best friends. “I’m apologizing in advance for  _ my  _ friends,” Olivia said jokingly. “Abbie can be a little much, but she’s fun and the best kind of person to have on your side.”

“Serena and I have never done anything like this,” Alex admitted. 

“A haunted house?”

“ _ Anything _ ,” Alex admitted. “Our whole teenage existence has been focused on AP and honors classes and preparing for college, but while we were preparing for the future we missed out on the here and now.”

Olivia leaned into her. “But you’re here now.” There was no more waiting for some perfect moment that she had seen in movies. She kissed her girl for the first time and it was even better than she had ever imagined. Their first kiss was delicate and unexpected, but it was in those few seconds that Olivia knew she had found the girl she never wanted to stop kissing.

...until she heard the words, “Get it, Olivia!” and whistling coming from outside her car.

Olivia looked out the front windshield and saw Abbie, Connie, and a girl she assumed was Serena. “And this is why I apologized in advance for my friends.”

She had expected Alex to be embarrassed, but instead she kissed her again. “I don’t care who watches.”

Abbie tried to get her attention by tapping her hand on the hood of Olivia’s car. “Not to crotchblock you, Olive, but it’s 8:40 and Casey is waiting for us at the entrance.”

Alex gave Olivia a confused look “Crotchblock?”

“Don’t judge me based on the company I keep.”

Although Olivia knew the kind of comments they were going to hear when they got out of the car, with only twenty minutes until their scheduled time slot, they couldn’t wait any longer. Serena had already become acquainted with Abbie and Connie while they were waiting, which made Olivia realize the comments would now be coming from three girls instead of two.

Serena hugged Olivia before she even had the opportunity to introduce herself. “So you’re Alex’s studmuffin? Alex, she’s perfect.”

“Ignore the dress, though,” Abbie pointed out. “This isn’t Olive at her studmuffinliest.”

“Can we all just ignore the dress and go into the asylum now?” Olivia asked. 

“ _ I  _ don’t want to ignore the dress,” Alex insisted. “My girlfriend is gorgeous no matter what she wears.”

“Girlfriend?” Connie asked excitedly. She pounced on Olivia and would have knocked her over in the process had Olivia not caught her. “You have to tell us everything.”

“Babe?” Abbie said to get her girlfriend’s attention. “I don’t think Alex appreciates you straddling Olivia.”

The overly excited Connie suddenly became sheepish. “Sorry.” 

“Don’t mind my girlfriend,” Abbie said to Alex. “She’s the eternal cheerleader, but lucky for me she’s in her uniform every Friday.”

Connie kissed Abbie. “...even if it doesn’t stay on long when I’m with you.”

Abbie liked to talk big and Connie was as equally flirtatious with her, but during a late-night conversation Olivia had with Abbie, she confessed that she and Connie hadn’t actually done anything－or anything below the waist as Abbie confessed. They had said they were going to wait until Connie’s 16th birthday, but with her birthday quickly approaching, both girls wondered if they were even ready.

“This friend of yours that we’re meeting at the entrance,” Serena said to Olivia. “Is she a cute redhead that works at the skate shop at the mall? Skater girl with a kinda tomboyish charm and soft pillowy lips?”

“...I guess,” Olivia hesitated. “I never pay attention to how soft my friend’s lips are.”

“She still with Kayla?” Serena asked.

“Hell no,” Abbie responded. “They broke up last week and Casey is better off without her. Can you guys imagine if we had to spend this night with Kayla? Ugh.”

Serena feigned sadness. “That’s awful. Is she okay?”

“I’m sure it’s nothing you can’t fix,” Connie smiled at her. “Why don’t you go ahead and the four of us will give you a few minutes to talk to her. I’ll text her right now and set you up.”

“Connie, you are the  _ best  _ wingwoman,” Serena said excitedly. 

“I love playing matchmaker,” Connie told her. “I have the perfect girlfriend and I want everyone else to be just as happy.”

When the four of them approached the entryway, they noticed that Serena was already flirting with Casey, using any excuse to playfully touch her arm. Olivia was surrounded by girls who had a knack for flirting and chatting up their crushes and she had begun to feel inadequate...until her beautiful girlfriend grabbed her hand. “I know you’re going to protect me,” she whispered into Olivia’s ear.  _ The dress be damned.  _ She was still Alex’s studmuffin.

The ticket taker scanned all six tickets on Abbie’s phone and the girls were let into the field surrounding the Haunted Asylum. The asylum itself was the main attraction, but the area was surrounded by concession stands, a dance floor, photo booths, and scare actors roaming around. 

“Olive and I have been waiting years to come here,” Abbie informed them. “They add things every year and change things up, but this place is a Halloween tradition. And you guys have no reason to be scared. My girlfriend is in her cheerleading uniform and a hair ribbon. You know damn well they’re going to go after her worse than any of us. In every horror movie, the cheerleader dies first.”

“Thanks, babe,” Connie glared at her. “You know the loud-mouthed smartass always dies second, right?”

Abbie playfully lifted her up. “Right, but you’re my girl and I’d never let anything happen to you.”

“I don’t need your protection,” Connie said matter-of-factly. “I can protect myself.”

Abbie kissed her girlfriend, not caring who might have been watching. “And that’s why I love this girl,” she told her friends. “She’s not some damsel in distress. She can hold her own.”

Alex let go of Olivia’s hand and instead decided to cling to her side. “I don’t care if I seem like a damsel in distress. There’s going to be evil clowns and chainsaw murderers popping out. Liv, you’re protecting me.”

“Always.” Olivia wrapped her arms around Alex and held her as close as she could. It was the first time Alex had called her ‘Liv’ instead of ‘Olivia’ and hearing her nickname come out of Alex’s mouth made her wish she could spend the rest of her life in that moment. She may have been surrounded by Halloween noises and the sound of people screaming in the asylum, but being there with Alex and her closest friends made Olivia feel the most at peace she had ever felt.

“Let’s face the fact,” Casey began to say, interrupting Olivia’s thoughts. “Olivia is the only one of us who would survive a horror movie. Everything about her just screams Final Girl.”

“ _ The final girl is typically sexually unavailable _ ,” Connie began reading from her phone.

“Yeah, that sounds like Liv,” Abbie cut in. “Well, unless Alex wants to do something about that.”

Under normal circumstances, she would have chased after her and playfully pinned Abbie to the ground, but with them now being stuck in line, Olivia had no choice but to stay put. 

“Babe, let me finish,” Connie insisted. “ _ Occasionally the final girl will have a shared history with the killer. The final girl is the investigating consciousness of the film, moving the narrative forward and, as such, she exhibits intelligence, curiosity, and vigilance _ .”

“Like Laurie Strode from  _ Halloween _ ,” Abbie told them. “The greatest Final Girl of them all.” 

“Or that girl from  _ Texas Chainsaw Massacre _ ,” Casey added. “She’s my favorite.”

“I like the girl from  _ Black Christmas _ ,” Serena told them. “Not the modern one. I like the ‘70s version.”

“I didn’t even know there was an older one!” Casey said excitedly. “I love classic horror movies.” 

Serena gently grazed Casey’s hand with her fingertips. “You should come over to my house tomorrow and watch it with me. I’ll have the whole place to myself.”

“I’m in.” Casey turned to her friends. “You guys free tomorrow?”

“Smooth one, Novak,” Abbie laughed. “It wasn’t a group hangout. A gorgeous girl invites you to her house when her parents aren’t going to be there and you ask us if we’re going to be there, too. Case, you’re the one who has the most relationship experience in the whole group.”

“Oh!” Casey tried and failed to hide her embarrassment from her friends. “Serena, I’m so sorry.”

Serena smiled and grabbed Casey’s hand, lacing her fingers with hers. “It’s okay. See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Casey responded. “I’ll get your number before we leave.”

Abbie looked at Alex. “Damn, Alex. Your friend is a saucy one. Already getting our dear sweet Casey alone.”

Alex sighed. “At least  _ someone  _ is getting their girl alone.”

Although their ticketed time slot was for 9, the line was longer than anticipated and it was 9:30 by the time they were able to enter the asylum. It was a dimly lit building filled with the sounds of chainsaws, maniacal laughing and the screams of the guests who had gone in before them. There was fake blood splattered on the walls and the floor and torture scenes happening around them. On more than one occasion, Alex buried her face in Olivia’s shoulder and, although Olivia was nervous about what was ahead in the asylum, protecting Alex made her feel as if she could handle anything.

Connie turned around to face her friends. “It’s not so bad. If you hear the people ahead of us screaming, you know when something will pop out at you.”

Just a second after she finished saying that, a masked actor with a chainsaw and a blood stained apron popped out from an opening in the wall. The sound of the chainsaw so close to her made Connie scream and rush to the other side where yet another scare actor with an axe popped out at her, causing her to scream even louder. 

“Told you they go after the cheerleaders,” Abbie laughed. “Come here, babe.”

They each had at least one moment that scared the living daylights out of them. Olivia’s in particular happened while trying to show off for Alex. Unlike her friends who stayed on the other side of the entryway, Olivia decided to go deep into a room that resembled a torture chamber. It was then that the door shut and enclosed her in the room.  _ No one is allowed to touch me or grab me or drag me away,  _ she kept telling herself, but the menacing figure slowly approaching her as she struggled to open the door eventually caused her to lose touch with her rational mind. Just as the actor in blood stained clothes was about to approach her, the door opened and Olivia was set free. 

“I hear they always get the cocky one in that trap,” Abbie said once they had exited the asylum and were making their way toward the concessions. “It was bound to be either me or you, Olive.”

Now that she had finally caught her breath after all the screaming and laughing, Olivia couldn’t stop smiling. “Worth it. So worth it. I’ve never been that scared in my life.”

One of the concession stands was selling warm beverages, so the girls decided to make a stop there before exploring the rest of the grounds. The line was somewhat long, so Connie decided to step out and buy a light-up flower crown from a group of girls selling them two booths over. Olivia knew it was going to be for yet another social media post of Connie’s, but after what Connie had experienced in the Haunted Asylum, her light up flower crown was well deserved.

“They have pumpkin spice lattes!” Alex said to Serena. 

Seeing her girlfriend so excited over a drink compelled Olivia to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those girls who is 50% PSL.”

Alex responded with a quick peck on Olivia’s lips. “No. More like 51%.”

“And that’s only in September, October, and November,” Serena informed Olivia. “In December, your girlfriend is 51% gingerbread latte.”

“But those are cute,” Olivia wasn’t embarrassed to admit. “There’s this one independent coffee shop that me and Casey get gingerbread lattes from.”

“They don’t use lids and the top is pure whipped cream with a gingerbread man chillin’ in it like he’s in a jacuzzi,” Casey said to Serena. “Me and Liv always request a second cookie so we could re-enact the classic two bros chillin’ in a hot tub vine.”

“You guys are even bigger dorks than Alex and me,” Serena laughed. “But it’s so cute.”

Olivia was about to suggest a triple date when she felt a flower crown placed on her head. “Connie, no,” Olivia groaned.

“So cute and so fun,” Connie said in a high-pitched tone of voice. “It’s your turn, Olivia.” Connie whispered in her girlfriend’s ear and when Abbie started laughing, Olivia knew she was in for it. “For your dare, you have to take your hair out of the ponytail and wear this flower crown.”

“That’s it?” Olivia asked.

“Oh you wish, Olive,” Abbie smirked. “You’re also going to take off your jacket so you look like a total girly girl and then you’re going to pose over there on that bale of hay a la pinup girl style and post the picture on Instagram.”

“But,” Casey began. “You have to caption the picture, ‘ _ So cute and so fun _ .’”

Olivia wasn’t the type to back down from a dare, but she dreaded the thought of everyone’s reactions when they saw the picture of her, especially her teammates and her guy friends. It was all a part of the game that she, Abbie, and Casey created when they were eleven and, if she got this dare over with, she could dare any one of them to do whatever she wanted them to do.

Olivia took off her denim jacket and handed it to Abbie. Much to her chagrin, the summer dress she was wearing happened to be strapless and the sight of her in a strapless dress elicited whistles and teasing from her friends.

“When did that rack come in?” Abbie asked in a teasing tone of voice. “That dress wasn’t as nicely filled out when you wore it this summer. Had I known you’d end up all girly with a nice set of..., I’d have asked  _ you  _ out instead of Connie.”

Connie playfully smacked Abbie’s arm. “Babe, stop. Don’t embarrass her in front of Alex.”

“I’m not embarrassed,” Olivia glared at her best friend. “Let’s just get this over with so it becomes my turn to dare you.”

Being the social media expert of the group, Connie volunteered to be the photographer. As an unwilling subject, Olivia wasn’t the easiest to photograph as a pinup girl. It wasn’t until Alex joined them and assisted in posing Olivia that Connie was finally able to get the shot that she wanted. What she didn’t admit to the other girls is that she kept messing up the shots so she’d have an excuse to be close to Alex. During one shot in particular, she playfully pulled Alex on top of her and kissed her cheek. Connie was able to capture those shots of the two of them and Olivia realized ruining her tough girl image on social media was worth the cute pictures she now had of herself with her girlfriend.

“Is this just some really elaborate game of Truth or Dare that you guys play?” Alex asked while Olivia posted the picture Connie chose on Instagram. It was nearing eleven o’clock and the girls were standing in the parking lot near their cars, preparing themselves to leave if they wanted to make it home by the midnight curfew Alex’s dad set for whenever his daughter was on a group outing.

“So Cute and So Fun is  _ not  _ like Truth or Dare,” Abbie insisted.

“It’s a dark and evil game that never ends and nobody ever wins,” Casey added.

“It’s a blood in, blood out game,” Olivia smirked. “Once you’re in, you’re in for life.”

“How do you play?” Serena asked. 

“You don’t play the game, the game plays you,” Abbie responded, which in turn made her girlfriend roll her eyes.

“You three are  _ so  _ dramatic,” Connie shook her head. “Serena, it’s a game that Abbie, Olivia, and Casey came up with when they were eleven and Casey and Olivia’s softball game got rained out. The name is meant to be obnoxious because none of the dares are cute  _ or  _ fun. You have to get initiated into the game and initiation is brutal, but it’s a way to prove you’re up for any dare. Once you complete a dare, it is now your turn to dare anyone you choose, but before someone can be officially dared, all other members of the game have to approve and can add anything they want to it, which is what you just witnessed with Olivia. So now it’s Olivia’s turn to dare any one of us and it can happen any day at any time. You can’t dare anyone to do anything sexual or dare anyone to do anything illegal, but everything else is fair game.”

“But it’s just pictures,” Serena pointed out. “That’s not that bad.”

“It’s only bad for Olivia,” Abbie informed her. “The point of the game is to tailor the dare to the person you’re daring.”

“My initiation dare when I was eleven was for me to go down a hill in the park in a shopping cart. It wasn’t a steep hill, but the cart still flipped over and I busted my lip,” Olivia told Alex and Serena. “I ended up in the emergency room and had to get stitches and I can honestly tell you that  _ this  _ girly girl pinup dare was a million times worse. Connie was initiated last week and I know she was plotting her revenge on me.”

“I want in,” Alex told her, despite Olivia’s objection.

“Me, too,” Serena insisted.

Abbie flashed a mischievous grin. “A double initiation. This has to be a good one.”

“We’re already in the parking lot so we can’t re-enter the asylum, but the Sawyer house is two miles away,” Connie pointed out. “How about if Alex and Serena go into the Sawyer house and stay in there for five minutes?”

“No!” Olivia told her. “We’re not initiating them in the Sawyer house. That’s going too far.”

“I’m not afraid of some supposed haunted house,” Alex told her girlfriend. “But it’s sweet of you to stand up for me. I don’t believe in ghosts and the house has been abandoned for decades. There’s nobody in there and no danger in sight. The worst I’ll see in there is a spider.”

* * *

The Sawyer House had been a legend among teenagers in their county for generations and with every telling of the story, details had changed to the point where not a single person knew the truth. Some say it was just an old abandoned house and nothing had happened there at all. Some swore it was haunted by the ghost of a girl who killed herself in the house, others say she was murdered. There were even stories in which the haunting had nothing to do with a person who had once been alive and was instead haunted by an entity. Some of the more imaginative stories contained a portal to hell that was supposedly located in one of the bedrooms. Few were brave enough to venture into the house and those that did stayed no longer than a minute or two to take a selfie for social media clout.

Olivia was a fan of ghost stories and urban legends, but in the end she knew the happenings at the Sawyer house were just that－a legend. Her main concern was her girlfriend possibly encountering an actual  _ living  _ person in that house who was waiting to do harm to an unsuspecting teenage girl, knowing that the surrounding area was filled with high school kids at the local Halloween attractions who were looking for other ways to have fun after hours.

The Sawyer house was an ominous presence in the middle of acres of unkempt and abandoned property. Olivia felt a chill run down her spine when she stood in front of that one hundred-year-old house, but if her friends noticed, she had every intention of denying her fear. 

“I’m out,” Serena said as she looked up at the house. “I’m not cut out for this game and I don’t care.”

“We can dare you to do something later if you’re still interested,” Casey reassured her. “I mean, this is a little harsh.”

“Harsh because it’s your girl?” Abbie laughed. 

“Harsh because not a single one of us would go in there,” Casey said defensively. “Dare or no dare.”

“I’m still going,” Alex insisted. “If I could make it through the Haunted Asylum, I can make it through this. There’s nothing here that’s going to pop out at me. Being in a dark house for five minutes is nothing.”

“I’ll go with you,” Olivia told her. “I’d be a horrible girlfriend if I let you go alone.”

Connie gave her a hug. “And Liv the Studmuffin is back.”

Hearing the term of endearment her friends had for her gave Olivia the confidence she needed to walk in that house. She set a timer on her phone for five minutes and told Alex she’d check out the area before she let her go in with her. As she expected, the house was dark and filled with dust and cobwebs. She explored the first floor, using the flashlight on her phone to light the way. The stairs creaked loudly as she slowly made her way up, making sure to hold onto the banister in case any of the wood on the stairs was corroded. 

The bedroom doors were wide open except for one, so Olivia carefully listened for signs of someone hiding in there. A small key on top of the vanity table in one of the bedrooms caught Olivia’s eye so she put it in the pocket of her jacket as a souvenir to show her friends. When she was certain there was nobody in the house, Olivia decided it was time to go downstairs. 

While on the bottom step, Olivia decided to call Abbie on speakerphone so she could still use the flashlight. “There’s 90 seconds left on the timer,” Olivia told her best friend. “Can Alex just come in for the time that’s remaining and then we call it a night? She has to get home and I don’t want her to get in trouble.”

“I can see you in the ghost girl’s room. Nevermind, you just shut the curtains on us,” Abbie told her. “Take a quick video for us and we’ll consider both Alex and Serena initiated. I can tell you’re willing to go above and beyond for your girlfriend even if it means creeping us out.”

“What are you talking about?” Olivia asked. “I didn’t close the curtain and I’m not upstairs. I’m on the bottom step.”

“Stop playing around. You’re upstairs,” Abbie insisted. “You looked at us and then closed the curtain.”

Olivia was becoming frustrated. “I know where I am, Abigail.”

“A light just flashed upstairs!” Abbie said frantically. “Olive, get the hell out of there!”

“What’s going on?”

Alex grabbed the phone from Abbie. “Liv, listen to me. Get out  _ now _ !”

Realizing this wasn’t another one of Abbie’s pranks, Olivia hurried out of the house and joined her friends. From the safety of her group, she looked at the bedroom window and saw no lights and nothing out of place. 

“Are you okay?” Alex asked as she hugged her. “I was so worried about you.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Olivia responded. Her girlfriend was more distraught than she was, so Olivia was more intent on calming Alex than Alex calming her.

“Liv, I think we need a midnight meeting,” Abbie said worriedly. “And I don’t want to spend another minute here. Serena, can you take Alex home and ask if the two of you can stay at Liv’s tonight?”

“Yeah,” Serena agreed. “Never in a million years would Mr. Cabot let Alex stay at Olivia’s if he thought it was just going to be the two of them. If I’m there when she asks, he’ll most likely say yes.”

“Olive, you take Connie,” Abbie ordered. “You two live across the street from each other so you can prepare everything while the rest of us talk to our parents, get our stuff together, and then drive to Liv’s house. Is that a plan?”

“Yeah,” Olivia responded, hoping that Abbie wasn’t scaring Alex and Serena. “Alex, call me when you get home so I know you made it there safely.” Olivia gave her girlfriend a goodbye kiss that was soon interrupted by Abbie.

“Liv, you can make out with her and do whatever else you want later tonight at your house,” Abbie brought to her attention. “We just need to get out of here.”

Abbie Carmichael didn’t scare easily, so regardless of what she experienced in the house, she decided to give her best friend the benefit of the doubt. As far as Olivia was concerned, she’d humor her with a midnight meeting, maybe share some ghost stories around the bonfire, and then get to spend the rest of the night with Alex. 


	3. Ghost Girl

Midnight meetings were a way for Olivia and her friends to get together whenever one of them needed the others and felt like they couldn’t face the night alone. When they were younger, they’d call the meetings for more trivial reasons like if Olivia or Casey lost a softball game or if Abbie didn’t beat her personal best in track, but as they grew up, midnight meetings still occurred at the same frequency except now their conversations at these meetings usually revolved around girls. There was the one they had two weeks ago when Casey’s girlfriend broke up with her the day before her Sweet Sixteen party and the one they had when Abbie needed advice on whether or not she was ready to lose her virginity to Connie on Connie’s birthday. Out of the three of them, Casey was the only one experienced in that department, but she liked to play it cool with them and act like it wasn’t a big deal. Abbie constantly bragged about how Connie’s cheerleading uniform rarely stayed on when they were alone with each other after the Friday night football games. Then there was the friendly teasing of Olivia for wanting to save herself for the right girl. Her friends had assumed she meant she wanted to save herself until she was married, but in reality she knew she wanted to save herself for Alex whenever the time was right for them whether it was after Homecoming or prom or for no other reason than the fact that they couldn’t resist each other.

With that thought still in her mind, Olivia debated if she should wear something alluring for her girlfriend, but she worried that Alex would think she was trying too hard. Instead, Olivia took off her makeup, took a quick shower, and put on something comfortable. Gray joggers and a blue varsity softball shirt she typically wore to practice were a far cry from seductive, but knowing her friends would be wearing something similar for their respective sports put Olivia’s mind at ease. That is, until she remembered there was always the chance that she and Alex would have some time alone after their friends went to sleep. She sifted through her underwear drawer for the lacy bralette she had purchased a few days ago just in case. Just in case of what, she wasn’t sure, but Abbie had told her to start buying underwear that weren't just cotton boybriefs or boyshorts now that she was dating. There was no way Olivia was going to wear a lacy g-string, so she figured the bralette would balance out the striped cotton boybriefs she was wearing.

The bralette was itchy and Olivia made a mental note to never listen to Abbie again when it came to buying undergarments.  _ I’m only wearing this tonight and only because of the small chance that I’ll get time alone with Alex. _

Once her softball shirt was back on, Olivia went to the kitchen to find that Connie was already there, making chocolate chip cookies with Olivia’s grandma. As Olivia expected, she was in leggings and one of Abbie’s track t-shirts. Seeing her in Abbie’s shirt made Olivia smile at how it was like Abbie’s way of claiming her and Connie’s way of letting herself be claimed. With that thought in mind, she quickly returned to her room and put a softball shirt on her bed for Alex just in case.

“There’s my little Casanova,” Olivia’s grandmother said when her granddaughter returned to the kitchen. “Connie told me all about Alex being your girlfriend. You went from never having kissed a girl to having a girlfriend in the same night.” 

Oliva’s grandma, Charlotte Benson, otherwise known as Gram Gram or Grandma Charlie to Olivia and her friends, had practically raised Olivia ever since she was born. Serena Benson had given birth to her daughter just a couple of weeks after her sixteenth birthday and, although Serena had been a good mom to Olivia from the day she was born, Charlotte insisted on keeping Olivia at their house when Serena was at school at Hudson University. She wanted her daughter to be able to accomplish all of her goals and she wanted her granddaughter to have stability and not have to spend her entire day at daycare. Serena would bring her daughter to her apartment every weekend for mother/daughter time and she made sure to attend Olivia’s games whenever she could, but all of that changed three years ago when Serena accepted a job in Los Angeles. It was a crucial point in Olivia’s life－she had just become a teenager and Olivia felt as if her mom had abandoned her when she needed her the most. Serena had wanted to take Olivia with her, but she knew it wouldn’t be in Olivia’s best interest to uproot her and take her 2500 miles away when she had her friends and her grandparents and the home she had spent her entire life in. Despite the miles between them and the time difference, Serena made sure to Facetime Olivia nearly every night and fly Olivia out to see her every time she had a break from school. Olivia missed her mom everyday but she was forever grateful that her grandparents had taken her in. Jack and Charlotte Benson had given Olivia an ideal childhood and freedom in her teenage years to grow into the kind of young woman she wants to be rather than letting anyone define who she is.

“Hi, Grandma,” Olivia said as her grandma gave her a hug. She looked at the timer on the oven, mentally preparing herself for the chocolate chip cookies. “I waited four months just to ask her on a date. I wasn’t going to wait another four months to ask her to be my girlfriend. She’s so perfect.”

“Look at you,” her grandma teased her. “You’re practically glowing. I’ve never seen you like this.”

“She’s beautiful, Gram Gram,” Connie told her. The timer had gone off and Connie took it upon herself to get the cookies out of the oven so Olivia’s grandma could focus on her granddaughter. “If Alex wore red lipstick, she’d look just like a young Grace Kelly.”

“Speaking of your princess Grace,” Olivia’s grandma said once they heard the doorbell ring. She checked the doorbell app on her phone and saw two young blonde girls standing there with sleeping bags and overnight bags. “I think that’s her at the door. Olivia, she’s  _ adorable _ .”

Olivia rushed over to the door, unsure of how she should react when she greeted Alex. Ultimately, she didn’t have to decide. Her Alex kissed her right there in the doorway. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” Olivia blushed. “Come in.”

“She didn’t stop talking about you the entire way to her house,” Serena informed her. “Casey’s still coming, right? I haven’t heard from her.”

“She’ll be here,” Olivia insisted. “Is that why you’re dressed like this?” Olivia looked at the clothes Serena had changed into since leaving the Asylum. Earlier that night, she was dressed similarly to Alex, but now that she knew she’d be spending the night with Casey, Serena had opted for a low-cut camisole, leggings, and loose-fitting cardigan that hung off of her shoulders. 

“Maybe,” Serena said nonchalantly. “I tried to get Alex to show some skin for you, but her dad would have questioned her. You can undress her later, though. She’s wearing a cute red bra with little white hearts on it underneath her red thermal top. It’s a front clasp. Just in case you’re curious…”

Olivia didn’t want to admit just how curious she was, so instead she helped Alex and Serena carry their belongings to the living room. The furniture had already been rearranged to accommodate six sleeping bags and Alex made sure to lay hers next to Olivia’s. Olivia had bunk beds in her room and there was also a guest bedroom, but Alex was only allowed to spend the night on the condition that all of the girls slept in the same room and Alex wasn’t allowed alone in a bedroom with Olivia.

Serena looked at a text message that had just come through on her phone. “Casey just parked. I’m going outside to help her with her stuff.”

Olivia gave her a confused look. “Casey spends the night here all the time. She already has an extra sleeping bag and pillow here. All she’s bringing is a duffel bag.”

“You two are so cute,” Serena told them. Her tone was patronizing and Olivia began to wonder if－between Abbie and Connie’s constant need to be liplocked and now Serena shamelessly flirting with Casey－if their night was going to be about the Sawyer House at all or just her friends’ raging hormones.

Alex grabbed Olivia’s hand. “Don’t mind her. She had a summer fling with a girl at tennis camp and now she thinks she’s some kind of expert. Plus, she saw Casey when she was forced to take her little brother to the skate shop and she thought she was cute from the moment she saw her, but don’t worry－Serena wants more than a girl she can hook up with. She has no intention of breaking Casey’s heart. Just like I have no intention of breaking  _ your  _ heart.”

Olivia was about to kiss her when her grandma walked in the room. “You must be Alex!”

“Pleased to meet you,” Alex said and held out her hand to shake hands with Olivia’s grandma.

“You are very cute, but this isn’t a business meeting,” Grandma Charlie said and pulled Alex in for a hug. “You’re my granddaughter’s girlfriend, which makes you my granddaughter, too. You are every bit as beautiful as Olivia said.”

“Thank you,” Alex blushed. “And, thank you for allowing Serena and me to stay here tonight.”

Grandma Charlie released Alex from her embrace and turned to Olivia. “She’s a polite one, too. Don’t corrupt this girl and turn her into you, Abbie, and Casey. It’s after midnight, so I’m going to bed. You girls have fun and, Olivia, make sure you lock the front door once all of your friends are here.”

It was one in the morning by the time Abbie arrived and nearly 1:30 before Casey and Serena left the backseat of Casey’s car. The four other girls wanted to know exactly what had happened, so Serena not-so-subtly told them that a lady would never get to second base and tell.

“This midnight meeting is no longer at midnight,” Abbie brought to their attention. “But that’s okay. We still have an hour and a half before we can truly get started.”

All six of them were now in the kitchen, gathering plates and bowls for the homemade chocolate chip cookies and every flavor of potato chip in the Benson household to take outside with them.

“Get started with what?” Olivia asked. “During our midnight meetings, we just talk about what’s on our mind and then goof off.”

Abbie grabbed a chocolate chip cookie and took a bite. “Connie has a Ouija board in her overnight bag.”

“It’d be better if we did this at the Sawyer house, but since we can’t, we have to bring out the board at 3 a.m.,” Connie pointed out. “We’ll have a better chance of contacting the ghost girl at that time because 3 a.m. is the hour in which the barrier between the dead and the living can be broken.”

“We also have to have a multiple of three,” Serena added. “There’s six of us so that means everyone has to participate.”

“No, not you, too, Serena.” Alex shook her head. “Don’t tell me you believe all this.”

With the fire pit turned on and six chairs arranged in a circle around it, the girls attempted to ease their minds by teasing Casey and Serena about what had happened in the car, and playfully telling Alex and Olivia that they should lock them in Olivia’s room for a few minutes so they could finally make out for the first time, but their banter had only killed fifteen minutes, so they waited until one of them was brave enough to bring up what they were all thinking about.

“So, are we gonna talk about how we saw Liv in the ghost girl’s room or are we just gonna let that go?” Casey asked. “I’m not sure that’s a bridge we want to cross so I’m all for letting it go.”

“You didn’t see me in the ghost girl’s room because I was  _ never  _ in the ghost girl’s room,” Olivia said in a frustrated tone of voice. “I wasn’t in any of the bedrooms. I just briefly checked to make sure everything was safe. I didn’t stare at you guys and then close the curtain.”

“Are you saying you might have a doppelganger?” Abbie asked. 

“I’m not saying anything,” Olivia responded. “I don’t know what you saw, but I wasn’t in there.”

“A doppelganger is even scarier than a ghost girl,” Abbie told her. For Olivia, the whole situation had been nothing to worry about, but her best friend’s increased nervousness started to make Olivia feel uneasy. “What if－when you went in there－you manifested this energy. You listened to the same paranormal podcasts as me, Liv, and you know you’re never supposed to meet your doppelganger. As time goes on, she’s going to get stronger and she’s going to start following you. She could even hide in the mirror like that story we listened to when the girl was washing her face and her reflection in the mirror just stared straight at her the whole time and that’s because it wasn’t her reflection...it was her doppelganger getting closer and closer to making her move.”

“What happens when a doppelganger makes her move?” Alex asked, although she wasn’t quite on board with Abbie’s theory.

“A doppelganger will follow you, learning your mannerisms and every little detail about you until they’re confident that they could get rid of you and replace you without anyone knowing,” Casey answered for Abbie. 

“I’m not letting this thing kill my best friend,” Abbie told them. “I’ll fight this doppelganger myself if I have to.”

“My girlfriend is not being stalked by her doppelganger,” Alex laughed. “This is the most insane thing I’ve ever heard. Doppelgangers are an urban legend.”

“The killer in the backseat is an urban legend,” Casey told her. “The babysitter and the man upstairs is an urban legend. Doppelganger stories have been told for centuries by different cultures all over the world.”

Alex picked up a chocolate chip cookie from her plate. “And next you’re going to be telling me Skinwalker Ranch is real or the Black Eyed Kids.”

“Don’t get Casey started on Skinwalker Ranch,” Olivia warned her girlfriend. 

“I’d love to hear your Skinwalker Ranch theories,” Serena winked at Casey. “Maybe you and I could go back to your car and－”

“Enough!” Alex said to her best friend. “We get it. You and Casey got to second base and Olivia and I haven’t even made out.”

“Whoa!” Abbie said while trying not to laugh. “Where did  _ that _ come from?”

“Alex,” Olivia said softly. She motioned for her girlfriend to sit with her. Her intention was for Alex to sit next to her on the chair, but instead she spread her legs enough so Alex could sit in between. It may not have been the same as rounding the bases, but all Olivia wanted in that moment was to wrap her arms around her girlfriend from behind and hold her close.

Alex turned around to give her a delicate kiss on the lips. “It’s official. I have the best girlfriend.”

“I do,” Olivia said playfully.

“Olive!” Abbie snapped at her. “We have important matters to discuss.”

“Yeah and it’s 2:30 now,” Connie pointed out. “We have half an hour to devise a plan and I think we’ve been going about this all wrong. This isn’t a doppelganger situation we have here. Yes, that girl kinda resembled Olivia, but she was nowhere near an exact double. This girl was really pretty.”

“Thanks?” Olivia responded. Had it been Abbie, she would have thrown a chip at her, but since it was Connie she decided to let it go.

“No offense, Liv,” Connie smiled at her. “You’re pretty, but this girl was like Old Hollywood pretty, like the kind of pretty that doesn’t exist anymore. It’s like when you look at old yearbook photos from the ‘40s or the ‘50s and the guys look so handsome and the girls look so sophisticated and glamorous even though they’re the same age as us. This girl wouldn’t have been caught dead in joggers, a softball shirt, and Lightning McQueen Vans. Again, no offense, Liv.”

“None taken,” Olivia responded as she looked at the Vans she had purchased from Disneyland the previous year because they had her favorite Disney character on them. “I think they’re cute, but I know something else that’s So Cute and So Fun.”

“No,” Connie looked at her, her eyes wide. 

“Yes,” Olivia insisted. “The only reason we were at the Sawyer house to begin with was because you wanted to initiate Alex and Serena there. We’re going to use the Ouija board so we can talk to the ghost girl and end this and you’re going to be the one to initiate contact.”

“I think that’s fair,” Casey agreed. “I also think Olivia should be the one to dismiss her because she’s obviously the one Ghost Girl is after.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t call her Ghost Girl anymore,” Serena pointed out. “It might anger her. And, Liv, make sure the fire will last. The spirits are drawn to the flame.”

“I like this girl,” Abbie said to Casey. “She’s the perfect addition to our group even if she did chicken out at the Sawyer house. Casey, hurry up and make her your girlfriend.”

Connie got out of her chair and motioned for Abbie to follow her. “Leave them alone, babe. And come with me to get the board.”

It was 3:05 by the time the girls set up and motivated each other to go through with the plan. Connie and Serena had read that they weren’t supposed to use a table, so the girls opted to sit on the grass with the board in the middle of them.

“Once we get started, I need all of you to keep a hand on the planchette at all times,” Connie warned them. “And I do mean at all times. Removing your hand could break the circle and Olivia won’t be able to dismiss whoever or whatever we summon.”

“Assuming we contact anyone,” Abbie snickered. “Remember last time when we tried to contact Kurt Cobain and nothing happened? The same thing with Marilyn Monroe. Then again, if I were Kurt Cobain or Marilyn Monroe, I wouldn’t wanna hang out with us either. Maybe we’ll have better luck with Liv’s doppelganger ghost.”

Olivia playfully slugged her best friend in the arm. “For the last time, Abigail Shianne, she has no connection to me.”

“We’ll see about that, Olivia Margaret.” Abbie turned to her girlfriend, “Babe, you may do the honors now.”

“Hands on the planchette,” Connie told them again. “We’re going to move it around to warm up the board. Don’t ask any questions that you can’t handle the answers to. A malevolent spirit will feed on your fear. Direct any questions to me and I will be the one to formally ask. Keep your thoughts on the spirit we saw in the Sawyer house so we’ll have a better chance of contacting her.”

“This is a game by Parker Brothers,” Alex scoffed. “There’s nothing magical about it. If anything is spelled out, it’s because at least one of the six of us is guiding it.”

“Lex, just play along,” Serena urged her. “Even if we don’t make contact this time, at least it’s a fun Halloween activity.”

“Guys, it’s 3:15 now. Our window of opportunity is closing,” Connie told them as she tried not to become frustrated with her friends. Hoping that they’d finally take it seriously, she looked down at the board and urged them to move the planchette along with her. “Spirits that move among us, we will only allow for a positive experience and will not welcome negative energy－”

“Did you basically just tell the demons ‘good vibes only?’” Casey interrupted, which in turn made Olivia laugh. “Connie, this isn’t Coachella.”

Serena kissed Casey in hopes that it’d make her take the session seriously. “Focus right now and I’ll give you a repeat of what we did earlier.”

“Alright, guys,” Casey said excitedly. “Let’s talk to this ghost.”

Not wanting Alex to feel insecure about the fact that they hadn’t gotten as far as their friends, Olivia put her free hand on Alex’s lower back and gently caressed her underneath her thermal. “I’m your girl and you’re mine,” she whispered in Alex’s ear. “I just don’t know what I’m ready for.”

The feeling of Olivia whispering in her ear made Alex’s body tingle. “I’m just happy to be with you,” she reassured Olivia. “You’re already the best thing to ever happen to me.”

“You lovebirds are scaring away the spirits,” Abbie teased. “Babe, go ahead and ask the first question.”

Connie inhaled deeply and then gently bit her lip. “Were you ever alive?” she asked the board.

The girls watched as the planchette moved to the word ‘Yes.’ 

“So, we have a ghost and not an entity,” Abbie told them. “That’s reassuring...I think.”

“How old are you?” Connie asked. When the planchette moved to a ‘1’ followed by the number ‘6’ the girls started to become uneasy with how quickly they had made contact. “What’s your name?” 

“If she says a demon name, we’re out,” Abbie insisted. “Olive, you’re going to dismiss this thing right away if that happens.” Immediately, ‘M-A-R-G-A-R-E-T’ was spelled out.

“Do we have permission to address you as Margaret?” Connie asked nervously. The girls watched as their hands were guided toward ‘M-A-G-G-I-E.’

“I’m taking over,” Olivia insisted. “You guys said she looked like me and now we found out her name is my middle name. This isn’t one of your jokes, is it, Abbie?”

“Olive, I swear on our friendship. I have nothing to do with this,” Abbie responded. Judging by the slight quiver in her best friend’s voice, Olivia knew they had actually made contact with a spirit for the first time. 

“When did you die?” Olivia asked. The planchette circled around the numbers ‘1-9-4-4.’ 

“I told you guys,” Connie said with a half smile. “Old Hollywood pretty.”

“Maggie, we know you’re not at peace right now and you’re still in the Sawyer house,” Olivia said gently. “Is there a way we can help you?” 

‘Y-O-U,’ Maggie communicated to her through the board.

“Me?” Olivia asked. “Is there something I can do?”

“Liv, are you okay?” Alex asked. “We can stop this.”

“No,” Olivia insisted. “I have to know more. Maggie, is there something I can do?”

‘K-E-Y,’ Maggie communicated.

“Key?” Connie asked with a confused look on her face.

“I took a small key from the Sawyer house,” Olivia said nonchalantly. “Maggie, what is the－”

“You took something from the Sawyer house?” Abbie asked in disbelief. “Olive, in the entire history of ghost hunting at the Sawyer house, no one has ever been dumb enough to take anything.”

Olivia brushed off her friend’s comments. “Maggie, what is the key for?” Not caring if she was more focused on the board than her friends were, Olivia read the name ‘Lorna.’ “Maggie, who is Lorna? Do I know her? Maggie, why do we look alike? Are we related to each other somehow?”

“Liv, one question at a time,” Connie reminded her.

Olivia thought about how little she knew of her family tree other than her grandparents and her mom. She had never met her father, nor had her mom even told her his name. She knew her mom was in high school when she had her, so she wondered if her dad had left her mom when she found out she was pregnant. For Olivia, that was the worst case scenario and she hoped her mom hadn’t gone through that. 

The thought of what her mom might have gone through in high school combined with how little she actually knew about where she came from made Olivia start to cry. “Maggie,” her voice quivered. “Why doesn’t my mom tell me anything? Am I a Sawyer? Did you appear because I’m part of your family?”

“One question, Liv,” Connie said yet again. 

“No,” Alex said sternly. “I’m ending this.” Without waiting for anyone’s response, she took control of the planchette and slid it over the word ‘Goodbye.’ “Thank you for talking to us, Maggie, but we have to say goodbye now.”

“Alex, what are you doing?” Serena asked.

“Protecting my girlfriend,” Alex responded. “Liv, are you okay?”

“I don’t know. Will you go inside with me?”

“Of course,” Alex said as she wiped Olivia’s tears. “Come on.”

Olivia led Alex to her bedroom and shut the door behind them. It wasn’t the way she imagined having Alex in her room for the first time, but she was grateful to be with her nonetheless. 

“Can I hold you?” Alex asked and Olivia just nodded. She reveled in the feeling of being in Alex’s embrace. “I was so worried about you.”

“There’s just so much I don’t know,” Olivia told her. “I thought this whole thing was a joke until we contacted Maggie. I feel like she could be the link.”

“You can’t always trust what the board says,” Alex reminded her. “We haven’t known each other long, so don’t feel like you have to tell me everything right away or at all, but what you don’t know, we can find out together and not because of some board. Come to my house tomorrow and we can do some research and find out the truth about the Sawyer house.”

“Okay,” Olivia nodded. “And after that I’m taking you on a real date, one that our friends can’t interrupt.” She glanced over at the softball shirt she had left on the bed. “Look on top of my bed. There’s something for you.”

Without hesitation, Alex took off her red thermal and set it on Olivia’s bed. “I get to wear your shirt?”

“You’re my girlfriend. I’d love for you to wear my shirt.” Olivia wasn’t sure if she should look at Alex or turn around, but her curiosity got the best of her. “Serena was right. You  _ are  _ wearing a cute red bra with white hearts. And there’s a front clasp.”

“You can undo the clasp if you want to.”

“Alex,” Olivia blushed. “With all that’s happened in the past 24 hours, I can honestly say that seeing you like this is the highlight of my day, maybe the highlight of my whole life. Your body is so...beautiful.”

“Olive!” They heard Abbie say as she knocked on the door. “Olive, are you okay? We’re all worried about you.”

Alex gave her a quick kiss before putting the shirt on. “It’s a sleepover. Let’s go join our friends, but as soon as they go to sleep, you’re mine to kiss as many times as we want to.”

  
  



End file.
